


For The Love Of Oprah

by deandratb



Series: Puppy Love [1]
Category: One Day at a Time (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, puppy adoption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 22:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13961700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deandratb/pseuds/deandratb
Summary: Fluffy ficlet; Penelope finds out Schneider has added a new member to his family.Leaving her still baffled, Schneider disappeared from view only to return with the startling exclamation, “I’m a dad now!” He was holding a Labrador puppy in his arms...which at least saved her from having a heart attack.





	For The Love Of Oprah

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous prompt: **Schneider gets a puppy**

Between work and classes, Penelope hadn’t even really noticed that Schneider missed all three meals at their apartment the first day.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Penelope had insisted on the second day, after it came up at dinner because it was actually really weird to eat two nights in a row without Schneider’s jokes and compliments and wide smile beaming out over the table.

When she texted him on day three, he replied right away, but his response was uncharacteristically brief. _Thanks for checking in, Pen. I’m good, just busy. Hope to see you guys soon._

Day four was the start of her weekend, and Penelope didn’t even wait until the kids were awake. As soon as she was dressed, she marched upstairs to knock on Schneider’s door. _How dare he worry her_ Mami _like that,_ she thought, working up a good temper on the way. _How dare he worry the kids._

Of course **she** wasn’t concerned, that would be ridiculous. But a person got used to the routines around them and when those just up and changed...well, Schneider owed her more than a dismissive text message. That was all.

She knocked on the door, giving him two seconds before she knocked again. 

When he answered, his hair was sticking up at an odd angle and he was still in his pajamas. Her first thought was _Oh god I interrupted him having sex._ That was immediately followed by _Oh god he’s relapsed._ But his eyes were clear, and mostly he just looked tired.

“Schneider?” Penelope ventured as he kept standing there, staring at her absently. “Are you alright?”

“Hey!” He focused his wide eyes on hers after a moment. “Morning, Penelope. Yes, I’m alright. Actually, I’m more than alright.”

Leaving her still baffled, Schneider disappeared from view only to return with the startling exclamation, “I’m a dad now!” He was holding a Labrador puppy in his arms...which at least saved her from having a heart attack.

“What the--you got a puppy?”

“Well, I was up visiting my cousin Gordy and his dog just had babies and this one, she took a real liking to me. And the feeling is mutual, isn’t it?” He asked the puppy, before tilting her toward the doorway. “Penelope, meet Oprah.”

“You named the dog Oprah. Isn’t that a lot of pressure for such a little girl?”

She couldn’t help it. The puppy was snuffling in her direction, its pink tongue sticking out, and that dumb voice she reserved for babies and small animals just...happened.

Schneider grinned, cradling the puppy now that she had Penelope’s approval. “I think she can handle it. I mean, doesn’t she have an inspirational face?”

Laughing, Penelope let Oprah lick her hand. “Yeah, I guess she does. She’s cute.”

Then she shoved his shoulder. “Is this what you’ve been so busy with lately? You couldn’t have just told us that? My mom was worried about you.”

“I texted!” He protested, backing up to let her in. His apartment was in shambles---or what qualified as messy for Schneider. Stuffing was spilling out of a pillow, at least three shoes appeared to have been gnawed on while several fancy chew toys lay around in pristine condition, and his floor was covered in layers of newspaper and housebreaking mats.

“You texted one time,” Penelope countered, trying to find a safe spot to sit down. “Last week you sent me ten messages in three minutes once about what color t-shirt you should wear to go to the store to buy more t-shirts.”

“Hey, Pen, I swear I didn’t mean to worry you guys. Oprah’s having some problems with separation anxiety. I can’t leave her with a sitter yet, and whenever I try to use my phone...well, she chews on it.”

Schneider gestured to one of the mangled shoes nearby. “It’s not pretty.”

“I see that.”

Sitting gingerly next to an Angry Bird that squeaked, Penelope looked around. “So you’re really doing this. A dog is a big commitment, you know.”

He set Oprah down and watched her roll around on the floor with a proud smile on his face. “Yeah, I know. Just look at her, though. I love her already.”

 _Schneider loved so easily,_ Penelope thought. Given his childhood, that still surprised her sometimes. “Well, I’m not volunteering to dog-sit anytime soon,” she told him, “but I’ve probably got a couple of kids who would jump at the chance, if you need help.”

Standing, she brushed her jeans off. “And I know you didn’t ask me, before making this life-changing decision, but if you had, I would’ve been honest.”

“Yeah?” Schneider watched as she patted the puppy goodbye.

“Yes.” Penelope crossed the room to hug him. “I would have told you, you’re gonna make a great dad.”


End file.
